Pierpont BOG AAS

[allvia]

At this point I’m not sure I’m totally sold on getting the ASNSM at TESU. For the purposes of getting certified I’d like to do this quick and cheap. I’m thinking an AS at COSC. They need 7-8 credits of science, including just one lab.

So my thoughts are it would be much simpler for me to just go for that. Try to CLEP For BIO and CHEM. Seems like those are both worth 6 credits each. And then do a bio lab through ed4credit. If they prove difficult as other have mentioned maybe I’ll try for some of the other schools mentioned.

The rest I’ll CLEP out, ALEKS for the math, and the FEMA plus TEEX and some of my CC to fill out the electives portion.

Am I totally off base here? I really appreciate all the direction you guys have given me. And I know that the ASNSM is the smarter choice for the future as far as transferability, but for now I’m ok with just meeting the requirements for my current position to take my exam.

You're not off base at all. The ASNSM in Bio is better on the resume than the general AA/AS long term at the associate degree level - both can be converted into a bachelor later down the road. But since you're in need of a shorter term solution (Associate degree w/those 12 credit requirements) I can completely understand taking the path of least resistance (and possibly lower cost/quicker).  COSC was my original first choice so I'm not against them at all - I just had a ridiculous amount of already earned credits and TESU allowed me to better utilize more of them.

If I were you at this point you might want to sign up with Modern States, get to take those two CLEPS for free - if you do pass them (I'm hopeful!) then you'll know for sure if that CLEP path is indeed a realistic option for you through COSC.